The Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team advances to the CIF-SS Girls’ Division 6 Semifinals after a thrilling double overtime, sudden death victory over hosts Santa Paula before a raucous, partisan crowd. The Tartans dominated the action for most of the match producing an abundance of shots and forcing Santa Paula goalkeeper Glory Cruz into making 23 saves. While forwards Chelsie Churchill and Amy Gutierrez were imposing their will on the Cardinal back four, Olivia Collins and Natalie Barbaresi were controlling the Santa Paula forwards and McKenna Marmelstein dominated the aerial duels in the midfield. However, the Cardinals were up to every challenge from the visiting team as they played a stifling physical defense that seemed to throw the Tartans off their rhythm and slowed down their attack.
In the second half, both teams turned up the heat and the crowd noise also ramped up as the home throng made their presence felt which seemed to rattle the young Tartans. Sophomore Katie Donahue, the teams’ leading scorer who was jostled, harassed and battered for most of the match, was shown a yellow card for aggressively defending herself. This would actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the Tartans.
With Donahue on the bench, the Tartans battled to regain their lost momentum and took the initiative. Churchill continued to get behind her defenders while Gutierrez and freshmen Stefanie Brunswick and Allie Frost took turns pressuring the Cardinal defense. With just a few minutes remaining in regulation, Gutierrez hit a terrific shot to the far post that hit the crossbar and Frost was unable to put in the rebound.
The Tartans also had some very tense moments as well in the final ten minutes. As the Cardinals pressed forward, the Tartans committed a silly foul at the top of the penalty area and the hosts were awarded a dangerous free kick. Fortunately, their attempt sputtered harmlessly over the crossbar. In the final minute of play, GK Erika Page chased down an errant Cardinal shot only to have her momentum carry her out of the penalty box giving Santa Paula a free kick less than 25 yards from the Tartan goal. After a miss wide, mercifully, the final whistle blew and put both teams into the overtime period.
CIF-SS playoffs utilize two ten-minute, sudden death overtime periods and then penalty kicks in order to settle tie games after regulation. During the first overtime, the Tartans put the Cardinals under tremendous pressure and did not allow them to mount any sort of attack. Donahue, who came back into the match with two minutes remaining in the game after sitting out for almost thirty minutes after her yellow card, seemed to have fresh legs as she chased down and ran past the hapless Cardinal defense. The score remained 0-0 after the 1st overtime.
In the second overtime, Allie Frost was to be brought on as a substitute for the hard working Gutierrez. Coach Johnny Marmelstein looked Frost in the eyes just before she entered the game and said, “One act of bravery and courage will win this game for us, Allie!” Those words would be prophetic. With less than six minutes remaining in the second overtime, the renewed Donahue easily beat her defender and ran towards to end line before sending an amazing cross to a streaking Allie Frost who clinically and calmly finished her opportunity and sent the Tartan faithful into pandemonium and the team to the semifinals!
Santa Paula finishes their season at 14-5-4 while St. Margaret’s improves to 21-5-1. Sophomore forward Chelsie Churchill earned the game ball for her unselfish play and tremendous work ethic! The Tartans advance to the CIF-SS Semifinals next Tuesday in Lancaster against the three-time defending CIF Champions, Desert Christian. Go Tartans!